A steadily growing crowd filled the CORE Butte gym Friday night, Dec. 5th, as all three teams took the court for their first full triple-header of the season: JV boys, varsity girls, and varsity boys. Central Valley provided the opposition across all games.
JV Boys: Central Valley 67, CORE Butte 23
The JV boys opened the night with their first game of the winter season. Central Valley came out fast and scored repeatedly in transition, taking an 18-5 lead after the first quarter. Their pace didn’t slow in the second, and the Falcons extended the margin to 39-12 by halftime.
CORE put together a few strong possessions in
The third and fourth quarters, including made free throws and a late three, but Central Valley stayed ahead throughout. CORE also attempted several threes in the fourth that narrowly missed. The final score was a whopping 23-67.
JV Coach Chris Spears after the game:
“We hustled. Our competitiveness was excellent and we never gave up.
We need to work on transition play. They’re getting too many easy baskets and too many second-chance opportunities.”
Varsity Girls: CORE Butte 38, Central Valley 25
The varsity girls took the floor next and delivered their second straight win to move to 2-0 on the season.
CORE forced multiple turnovers, which led them to jump to a 12-6 first-quarter lead. Their strong ball movement and interior scoring kept them ahead 20-16 at halftime.
The third quarter slowed down, but CORE extended the lead with free throws and a pair of inside makes. In the fourth, the Lynx controlled the pace and finished at the rim. They closed out a steady 38-25 victory. Reports list seniors Bella Haselton, who made 14 points, and Brianna Hayes, who made 10 points and 15 rebounds, as the leaders. Mara Gonzalez adds 7.
Coach Mikayla Bumgarner:
“I’m super proud of my girls. They’ve improved even since Wednesday. They look like a different team. Their confidence is growing, and they’re doing things they were scared to do before. They’re looking great.”
Varsity Boys: Central Valley 73, CORE Butte 40
The night wrapped up with the varsity boys, who kept their pace early but were gradually overtaken as Central Valley adjusted and stretched the lead quarter by quarter.
CORE trailed just 23-13 after the first and stayed close in the second with a 15-point quarter of their own. But CV pulled away in the second half with runs in both the third and fourth. The final score was won by the Falcons 73–40.
Coach Benjamin Salberg on the game shifting after halftime: “[Central Valley] just adjusted, and we weren’t ready for it.”
On positives: “[Our team] did everything right, and most importantly, they hustled.”
Next
Both varsity teams face Paradise on Tuesday, then tournaments ahead later in the week.